San Diego man charged with making false statements about being in combat in Syria

SAN DIEGO – Federal authorities have arrested a San Diego man on charges he made false statements to U.S. officials about his association with the Islamic State terrorist organization and fighting in his native Syria.

The U.S. attorney's office announced Thursday that Mohamad Saeed Kodaimati was charged with two counts of making false statements involving international terrorism.

The 24-year-old Kodaimati, a U.S. citizen, was arrested Wednesday in the San Diego suburb of Rancho Bernardo.

The complaint alleges he made the false statements during interviews with the FBI and the Department of State's Diplomatic Security Service last month at the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, Turkey. He allegedly denied being involved in fighting in Syria and knowing any member of Islamic State or other terror groups